The present application relates generally to an image forming device, and more specifically to regulating the output voltage of a high voltage power supply in the image forming device.
The electrophotography process used in some image forming devices, such as laser printers and copiers, utilizes electrical potentials between components to control the transfer and placement of toner. These electrical potentials create attractive and repulsive forces that promote the transfer of charged toner to desired areas while ideally preventing transfer of the toner to unwanted areas. For instance, during the process of developing a latent image on a photoconductive surface, toner particles may be deposited onto latent image features (e.g., corresponding to text or graphics) on the photoconductive surface having a lower surface potential than the charged particles.
The image forming device may include four image forming units associated with four colors: cyan, magenta, yellow, and black. Each image forming unit includes an optical source that is scanned to produce a latent image on the charged surface of the photoconductive unit. Each image forming unit may also include a transfer roller charged to an opposite polarity than the photoconductive unit. The transfer rollers may require a separate power supply capable of adjusting an output voltage.
As new and/or updated models of image forming devices are developed, it may be advantageous to reuse a power supply from a previous model to lower costs and decrease engineering resource needs. However, new models often include higher print speed and print quality than their predecessors, which may dictate the need for higher transfer voltages. The higher transfer voltages may tax or even exceed the output of the power supplies of the previous models, limiting the ability to reuse these power supplies.